


Troublemaker

by IbelieveinMarkNutt



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: High School AU, M/M, im thinking three chapters, this has been sat on my harddrive for two long years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 21:56:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IbelieveinMarkNutt/pseuds/IbelieveinMarkNutt
Summary: After a month of blissful recluse in his bedroom, it's time for Arin Hanson to put the past behind him and start at a new school.Hopefully at this one he'll be able to keep a few friends.Highschool AU





	Troublemaker

The comfort of Arin’s bedroom seemed miles away despite only being a flight of stairs from where he was sat. He wanted to be buried under his Sailor Moon covers asleep, or curled up on his bean bag playing Mega Man, or sat at his computer scrolling through graphic tablets on amazon longingly as he scanned in traditional sketches onto his hard drive to upload to his blog.

He sat miserably at his kitchen table trying to will the clock on the wall to freeze, breakfast barely touched in front of him. He’d tried a few times to eat it, the plate piled with blueberry pancakes, generous helpings of maple syrup and crispy bacon, his mother having broken up the bacon on top of the stack to form a smiling face, its expression gloating up at him. Arin swallowed nausea and knocked the bacon’s face apart with his fork.

Arin took in a few steady gulps of air, able to fight back a little of the panic threatening to rise in his chest. He couldn’t do it again, he couldn’t, Arin couldn’t face it. The last month had been bliss, nothing but drawing, and eating, and playing video games. It had almost been worth the humiliation of the bullying he had endured.

The teenager looked down at his phone, conversations open, Suzy’s messages offering some comfort.

**From: Suzy**

_Have a nice day at your new school, Arin! I’ll come down to see you and Mom next Tuesday. Hugs and kisses, kitten xxx_

At least his sister was optimistic.

“You all ready, hon’?” His mom’s voice interrupted Arin’s wallowing, Arin looking to the doorway and seeing her watching him, smiling softly.

“Yeah, Mom,” said Arin, giving a smile back, strained and tight. He was notoriously bad at hiding his emotions, Suzy having always teased he was like an open picture book when he was in elementary. He had grown to despise the trait, especially in the toxic environment of school. Kids were cruel.

His mother came into the kitchen and brushed a hand through her son’s hair affectionately, worrying at the still-full plate in front of Arin, the paleness of his face, the trembling off his legs under the table. She could tell he was trying to put on a brave face for her.

“I see the night-fairy has been painting shadows under your eyes again,” Arin’s mom began after a pause, “you know, if you started going to bed a little earlier she’d take you off her list.”

Arin snorted and pushed away her hand gently. “Mom, please, I’m not one of your pre-schoolers.”

“What?” She replied with a gasp, “Don’t tell me you’re one of _them._ A _non-believer._ ”

Arin rolled his eyes, trying to fight a grin as he conjured up his best teenage-scowl.

“You are, aren’t you? That won’t do. If you keep this up I’m afraid I’m going to have to disown you.”

“You make it sound like me being your son sound optional.”

“It isn’t?”

Arin swiped his phone and stood up, chair legs scrapping against the cheap linoleum of the flooring, picking up his uneaten breakfast and putting it in the fridge. Arin’s mom moved out the way for him. He’d eat it after school when his appetite came back.

When Arin didn’t respond to his mother’s tease, she spoke again, more seriously this time, “Today is a good day, pumpkin. I can feel it. I bet you’re going to meet lots of new, interesting people and learn all sorts of stuff- hey, how ‘bout you take your sketchbook, I’m sure your new friends would love to see your drawings. What are they called again? Am-I-a-me?”

“Anime,” Arin corrected, “and they won’t, they’ll think it’s dumb.” He closed the fridge door, picking up the butterfly magnet that fell off from the movement, sticking it back on.

“Arin. You know I don’t like it when you talk yourself down like-”

“Mom, we’re gonna be late.”

Arin’s mother pursed her lips at the interruption but didn’t comment, instead sighing and picking up her keys and handbag from the table, key rings jangling together in her hand, the keepsakes gifts from both her children and husband. Her favourite was a small, faded picture of Arin and Suzy at the park when they were little, the photo clasped in old translucent plastic. She missed the days when Arin smiled like that, so carefree and happy.

“Go on then, get your fanny in the car, I’ll be right behind you.”

Arin slung his rucksack over his shoulder, sweat patches already starting to form under his arms despite Arin having gone through half the deodorant as an attempt to manage it, nerves always causing him to sweat profusely. It wasn’t like the damn heat helped either.

He got into his mom’s Ford and immediately switched on the A/C, catching sight of himself in the rear view and fiddling with his bangs, teeth chewing subconsciously at his bottom lip. He was a mess, hair already sticking to a damp forehead (gross), skin oily, pale and sickly.

 _Looks aren’t everything,_ he told himself _._ He was likeable, he was friendly, and he was going to make friends.

 _Today is a good day._ _Think, Arin,_ he thought to himself, _it’s Friday, just one day and then you have the whole weekend to chill out._

The driver’s door opened and his mother got in, turning on the radio in habit, sliding the volume down.

“It’s gonna be a hot one,” she commented.

Arin briefly managed to give her more genuine smile, letting his mom’s familiar voice sooth over him as she sang along to the radio, closing his eyes and enjoying the light breeze from the car’s blast of cool air. Arin’s mom kept to the speed limit, aging hands grasped firmly in the ten-two position, taking a longer route so they didn’t have to drive past her son’s old high school nearby.

“There it is,” Arin’s mom broke her singing to speak, “Looks much nicer than Rydell High, huh?”

“I mean, I guess. School’s school.” Arin tried to be casual, unbuckling his seatbelt once his mom had maneuverer into the student parking lot, grabbing his bag. He hated the rucksack, it was an ugly black and grey colour, one his dad had picked out for him after the whole escapade with the pink backpack Arin had originally chosen when he’d started at Rydell. That had not been a good move.

There were so many people, students scattered around the front of the school in cliques. Rowdy teenagers seemed to pour in endlessly from cars and the front gate. Arin knew by sophomore year everyone in his grade at this school would already have their friendship groups, know everyone in their homeroom and that they had all gone through the first year of high school together without him. He was an outsider. Loud chatter filtered through the window as a few girls squeezed past his mom’s Ford, Arin practically retracting into the leather of the seat, sweaty legs stuck to the material.

Arin’s mother’s worry became a little more visible as she watched Arin try to hide his anxiety. “Want me to come in with you?”

“Nah, Mom. I’m a big boy now, I can wipe my butt and everything,” Arin joked, a little too quickly, getting out, squinting through the sunlight back into the car. The last thing he needed on his first day was the humiliation of walking into school with Mommy.

“…Alright, pumpkin,” his mom said, leaning across in her seat slightly, putting her sunglasses on top of her auburn hair, “Mrs. what’s-her-face should be waiting for you at the principal’s office. I’ll pick you up after school, m’kay?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“I’ll try and park around here, m’kay?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“And you’ll call me if you need anything?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“And you smell real bad?”

Arin smirked at her test to see if he was listening, saying deliberately, “Yeah, Mom.”

She laughed and blew a fond kiss, restarting the engine. “See you.”

“Bye…” Arin shut the door and watched her drive away, swallowing his nauseating helplessness as he looked to all the people he was going to have to walk past to get to the main building.

The teen could only imagine in horror what he looked like to everyone; an ugly, fat, sweaty, gross, loud, _annoying, sissy, ill-proportioned waste of space whose only friends were anime characters and his sister._ His mind flickered to Jon Jafari and it took everything in his power to stop his bottom lip from shaking.

 _“Can you believe this guy?”_ said the memory, _“What a loser.”_

Arin steeled as he heard unfamiliar laughter nearby. He paused and closed his eyes.

He refused to let himself give up so easily, letting the giggles wash over him like the sea against the sand. It wasn’t directed at him. It was just laughter. He wasn’t going to do this to himself. He was likeable, and funny, and good at drawing. Today was a good day and- God fucking dammit- Arin Hanson was going to get through it.

Arin walked down the concrete path, climbed the few steps at the end of it and entered Green Gate High School, merging into the crowd of a hundred other students. There were so many _people_ at this school he lost his train of thought for a moment.

Right, the principal’s office. He needed to find the principal’s office, that’s what Mom had said. He tried to stay calm, having no idea where he was, being bustled about by students as they went about their morning. He was insignificant to them. Arin found this discovery comforting.

 

He decided on a direction and stuck to it, the density of people thinning the longer he walked. He stumbled across what looked to be a couple of music classrooms from a glance through the windows. Arin was truly lost now, there no indication of where to go on the walls or the floor.

Arin tried to keep his expression neutral, hesitating on his feet between going back in the direction he’d come from or pressing forward to what looked to be turning out as a dead end.

“Hey, dude, are you alright?” he was asked.

Arin jerked out of his overthinking, tensing up when it was confirmed he was being addressed, the older kid’s attention firmly on Arin. The guy was undeniably attractive, his smile lazy and friendly. Arin’s stomach became tight and hot, feeling shame as his cheeks burned pink.

 “You look a little lost,” the cute guy continued at a lack of response, eyes crinkling kindly as he kept up his smile.

Arin’s face burned brighter, further embarrassed at his own lack of response. He provided a small, awkward smile back, gaze flighty, “…Yeah, man, I am. That obvious, huh?” he tried to be casual, laughing, “You happen to know where the principal’s office is?”

“Sure do, buddy!” reassured cute guy without missing a beat, “I’ll take you there myself, come on.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and gestured for Arin to follow, his confidence contagious. Arin noticed a guitar case strapped to his back. Arin allocated more fake points to his non-existent score, he had officially promoted from ‘cute guy’ to ‘hot guy.’

“Thanks,” mumbled Arin.

“Don’t sweat it,” said hot guy, “I’m Danny, by the way, what about you?”

“Arin.” He made a point of remembering Dan’s name, thinking it suited him.

They started walking, Arin tucking a little hair behind his ear as he matched Dan’s pace, having to take more strides than him to match Danny’s long legs. He forced his posture out of its usual hunched over state, but his gaze still fell to the dirty floor in habit. Arin gripped at his backpack straps to relieve some nerves.

“Arin? Nice, I like it, like Erin but with a funky twist,” said Dan, “You liking California? I know the heat can take a little getting used to, but there’s loads of cool stuff to do around here.”

“I’ve lived in California most my life, dude.” Arin informed, regretting saying it as Dan gave him a side glance, worried he’d said the wrong thing already and offended him. He fumbled, but Dan simply smiled apologetically, and Arin relaxed a little.

“Oh, sorry!” Dan took a hand out of his pocket to run through his curly hair, “Shouldn’t have assumed. Just thought cause you’re new and everything, your accent really isn’t that heavy. So, yeah…”

Fan-fucking-tastic, Arin had managed to make yet another interaction awkward as hell.  Maybe it was for the best to end this before it went any further.

Dan had yet to live up to his deep-rooted fear of everyone being out to get him in the last sixty seconds, but Arin was still very suspicious to the motive behind his friendly introduction. Maybe this was all just an elaborate ploy to lure him somewhere so he could steal Arin’s lunch money.

It seemed likely to him. There was always an angle, a punchline, and Arin had grown used to being the victim of it. Dan seemed like he might be the type, too quick to smile, too quick to offer a helping hand.

Maybe, Arin rationalised another scenario, maybe he was just intimidated by the look in Dan’s eyes that said _I’m attractive and I know it_.

Danny certainly was ridiculously hot; this fact being confirmed with every glance Arin allowed himself up at him. He was everything that made Arin’s knees weak, the kind of pretty boy he’d followed the blog of on tumblr. He was tall, had thick, wild hair that reached the shoulders, an infectious smile, a deep, rumbly voice… Arin stopped the list before it got too extensive.

“I used to go to Rydell,” offered Arin before the silence became too awkward to bear.

Danny’s receding smile exploded out into a delighted grin. “Shit, did not expect a guy like you to have been expelled. What the hell did you do? Spill the beans.”

“Spill the beans?” giggled Arin, “Who even says that?”

“Cool guys.” If Dan’s grin could have physically grown any wider, it would have. It was like sunshine.

“Pfft. Oh, right, of course.” Arin rolled his eyes.

“You’re changing the subject. Don’t leave me hanging with blue balls, dude.”

Arin tried, and failed, to hold back another laugh.

“I’m serious,” Dan continued, “They’re aching super hard from all the secrets you’re keeping from them right now.”

“There aren’t any secrets. I’m not telling your blue balls anything.”

“ _Please_ ,” whined Danny, “I promise they’ll keep it to themselves.”

Arin laughed a little more, and Dan laughed too, the student feeling like he knew Dan from another life from the way the conversation suddenly flowed so easily.

“Alright, alright. I got into a fight,” Arin half lied.

“What?!” Danny scoffed, “Cute little guy like you got into a fight?”

Pleasure filled up Arin’s chest at Dan’s compliment(?), his crush-at-first-sight flaring hotter, stammering out, “Yeah.”

Dan punched his arm gently. “Did you win?”

Arin laughed awkwardly, lying as he rubbed over where Dan tapped, “Yeah. I mean, I don’t really want people knowing about it though, I’d appreciate it if you’d… I mean-”

“My lips are sealed, dude.” Dan feigned zipping up his lips with pinched fingers, eyes sparkling with a genuine glow.

Arin smiled, successfully charmed.

“Whelp, looks like we’re here.” Dan stopped, gesturing to a door.

Arin came to a stop too, unable to recall what path they’d even taken, having been far too caught up in their conversation. He was relieved he’d found the place without being late. He shifted on his feet before he looked up, giving his most confident smile. “Thanks, Dan.”

“You’re more than welcome, Arin,” Danny replied, flashing a wink, “I’ll see you later, troublemaker.”

Arin had to do everything in his power to stop himself from fucking swooning there and then, grin turning sheepish, breathing out a “bye” as Dan set off back down the corridor, sending him lazy wave.

His chest felt light for the first time all morning, the anxiety he had been feeling cured temporarily by Dan’s silliness. Arin couldn’t wipe the smile off his lips as he pushed forward into the administrator’s office where the principal’s lived inside.

The office was bigger than the one he was used to, the administrator older but friendlier than the one at Rydell’s had been. The woman offered him a toffee when he’d first arrived, which Arin accepted, feeling a lot calmer about the entire situation. She told him the principal would be ten minutes and for Arin to get sat down in one of the waiting chairs. He did, chewed on the sticky sweetness he’d been gifted and unlocked his phone.

**To: Suzy**

_I met someone nice_

**To: Suzy**

_He’s called Dan and he helped me find the principal’s office_

**To: Suzy**

_He had a guitar case and long hair_

**To: Suzy**

_…..he’s pretty hot_

**Author's Note:**

> (;-_-) i really need to find a hobby. this was unbetaed


End file.
